Last Friday, leaders representing advocacy, service, and cultural organizations participated in the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Hearing on the new permanent rule for the Cultural Development Fund (CDF). Their testimonies demanded broader participation in the rule’s creation, proposed concrete measures to ensure the equitable distribution of taxpayer dollars, and highlighted critical areas of concern.
In a time when the New York City Charter, the city’s constitution, is undergoing revisions to dismantle structural racism and foster a racially equitable future through community-driven policy reforms, it is exciting that DCLA has called for feedback on the new proposed rule and the process for its creation to make sure principles such as antiracism, equity, and participation inform the process and the actual rule.
In written testimony, Council Member Carlina Rivera focused on the administrative challenges posed by the current CDF processes, particularly the inconsistencies in application and funding timelines, which have left organizations in financial and operational limbo.
Advocates in the arts and culture community have called for a more transparent and equitable process, and collaboration between the Department and Council will help achieve these goals.
— Council Member Rivera
She stressed the importance of the new rule to specify these timelines and for allowing sufficient community input into the rule-making process. Rivera emphasized the need for a more robust and transparent panel review process, suggesting that the panel include a wider range of community representatives to ensure a fair and unbiased evaluation of applications. She also highlighted the need for legislative collaboration to integrate community feedback more systematically into DCLA operations.
An Urgent Call for Participation and Transparency
I strongly believe that the CDF process needs wholesale reevaluation. While the recent changes implemented in the process helped many groups new to CDF funding, they resulted in confusion, frustration, and great harm to many more existing CDF recipients.
— Lisa Gold, Asian American Arts Alliance
Lisa Gold, representing the Asian American Arts Alliance, detailed the disparities in funding that significantly disadvantage Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists. Highlighting the disproportionate allocation of funds, she noted that despite AAPIs comprising nearly 18% of NYC’s population, they receive a markedly lower percentage of CDF grants.
Gold called for an overhaul of the eligibility criteria to make it more accommodating for smaller, possibly less formally structured organizations that might struggle with the burdensome requirements of obtaining 501(c)(3) status. She proposed that the panel review process be staffed by a diverse group of professionals to mitigate biases and ensure a broader representation in decision-making, which would foster a more equitable distribution of resources.
Risa Shoup from A.R.T./NY commended the DCLA for transitioning to a permanent rule but pointed out the existing operational ambiguities. She emphasized the critical need for specific, detailed guidelines that clearly define funding categories, the composition and training of CDF panels, and the roles and responsibilities of the Commissioner and DCLA in determining funding awards. Shoup argued that such clarity would not only reduce confusion but also empower applicants to submit more competitive proposals, ultimately enhancing the sustainability of funding amidst decreasing income streams
Structural Critique and Reform Proposals
You are asking to codify the current CDF process into a permanent city rule when the entire process is deeply flawed and needs a complete reconsideration —with input from the community it serves. This is wrong and makes no sense,
— Lucy Sexton, New Yorkers for the Arts and Culture
Lucy Sexton from NY4CA expressed strong reservations about the pilot changes to the CDF implemented under previous DCLA leadership. These changes aimed to increase equity but resulted in significant funding cuts to established organizations, especially those serving minority communities.
Sexton proposed a fundamental restructuring of the funding process, suggesting a tiered system that provides baseline funding to organizations with a proven track record in addition to project-specific grants. This approach, she argued, would mitigate the impact of the panel’s variability and provide a more stable funding environment for all cultural organizations.
Fran Garber-Cohen from Regina Opera detailed the specific challenges faced by her organization, which primarily serves Senior Citizens, due to the timing and reduction of CDF funding. In spite of a 54-year record of providing live music, Regina Opera suffered a 20% cut in DCLA funding with no notification at all.
By the time they received the Fiscal Year 2024 Award Letter’ from DCLA, they had already budgeted to spend at least the same dollar amount as last fiscal year. She described how delayed notifications and funding cuts forced the cancellation of planned free events, impacting the community they serve. Garber-Cohen called for revising the funding timeline to better align with cultural organizations’ actual programming and fiscal needs, ensuring adequate planning and financial stability.
Conclusions
In our testimony, we offered an in-depth analysis of the existing and emergent regulatory frameworks governing the CDF. We elaborated on the significance of the emergency rule enacted by the DCLA, intended to make it permanent to enable ongoing stakeholder input into reform processes.
We also highlighted the necessity for consistent definitions and transparent procedures, critiquing the proposed rules for their lack of detail and potential for causing unintended disparities in fund allocation. In closing, we called for a participatory rule-making process that includes a broad spectrum of cultural sector stakeholders to ensure that the reforms meet the diverse needs of the community.
The Testimonies collectively underscore the need for a more transparent, inclusive, and systematically organized CDF process. Strong advocacy was made for detailed operational guidelines, equitable funding practices, and a restructured approach to allocation and announcement.
These changes are crucial for maintaining New York City’s vibrant cultural landscape and for supporting its diverse array of cultural organizations and practitioners in a fair and sustainable manner, particularly for small-budget organizations, which make up 65% of organizations benefiting from CDF funds.
